Oh Christmas Tree...

I think Jeremiah is annoyed that I keep posting all the new pics of the kids to my blog so im posting our christmas tree pics on the family blog. I put my stuff on my mantle a week ago but we put the tree up this afternoon and decorated it.

Last week we also put up Alexa's tree in her room (1st pic). It has my Hallmark Barbie ornaments my grandma gave me and then it has all pink, purple and lime green ornaments. Its very cute and looks so fun with her purple walls.

So of course that meant that we had to completely rearrange the furniture...i like it better the way it is now...anywho...

We finally got a Wii. Its actually my Christmas present to myself and its something everyone will enjoy too. Jeremiah and Alexa are actually playing MarioKart as I am typing this...haha...

Leonard slept through most of the decorating. So no cute pics of him eating ornaments or anything.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. If you havent already, check out my blog to see the pics of the kids on Thanksgiving. They turned out REALLY good so if any of the fam want a copy, let me know.

Hugs to everyone!

A New Kitchen Cont.

Another weekend gone by and we are that much closer to having our kitchen completely finished. This weekend was slammed with activity, though not as crazy as last weekend. Thank God. But, here's the list:

Finished electrical
Finished fabricating and installing drawers
installed range hood
slapped on first and second coat of drywall
knock-down ceiling (still needs to be painted)
installed upper cabinets
installed utility cabinets in laundry room
installed temporary bar top (waiting on granite to come today)

Now that all of that is finished all that is really left is to sand and paint the walls, install the granite bar top, fix some odds and ends, put the face plates back on all the switches and outlets and pour the concrete counter tops. The concrete we'll pour in a couple of weeks once the holiday is over. Then we need to find some new tile for the floor and walls. And then our "small kitchen remodel" will be complete. Since we got the cabinets and the granite for free the whole job has cost us around $500 so far. The counters will end up costing perhaps another $300, and about the same for the tile. So, once complete the entire kitchen will have cost a total of approximately $1100. And it will add somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 to the value of our house. But what I'm really excited about is to actually have space to cook in my kitchen! Ugh! It's so wonderful!
Alexa misplaced our camera, so you'll have to wait for pictures later tonight.

Ciao.

A New Kitchen

This past weekend Duane and I began installing the new kitchen in our home. The demo process was very theraputic for me, not to mention just a lot of fun. As many of you know our old kitchen, if you could call it that, was not the prettiest or most functional room in the house. Well, that is getting ready to change, my friends.
First, we tore out the old plaster and lath, then cut a huge hole in one wall to make a pass-thru and bar top. Then we cleaned everything up and ran some electrical and plumbing. Once that was done we were ready to start installing the new base cabinets. This was a tricky process seeing as we have to disassemble and reassemble some of the boxes in order to make them fit.
So, all day Sunday was spent installing the cabinets, cutting the plywood base for the counters and installing the sinks, switches and receptacles. It was a very long weekend. We're not done yet, but it's definitely come a long way from what it was. Here are some pics while under construction. I'll have some more shots once we've got things put away and cleaned up.

Getting Better

Leonard is feeling better now that he's been on the Amoxicilin for a couple of days. He still has a little cough and some flegm but it's getting better. And, now, Leonard is starting to sleep through the night. We're at two nights in a row he didn't wake up once, so let's hope this is the trend from now on. This morning was funny. He woke up and just sat there talking up a storm to no one. It's hilarious to hear him in his crib just chatting away with no one. I'd give anything to see what a baby sees for just one day. How amazing would that be?
So, Leonard is good, Erin is good, I'm good. We're not as tired as last week. Life is grand.

Ciao.

Unfortunate News

So, Leonard has joined the long and unlucky line of Russell's in our family. He has his very first ear infection. Considering he's almost the same age as I was when I got my first ear infection, I hope everyone will join Erin and I in praying for healing in his ears. The last thing he needs is to get on the same track with tubes and pain meds that I had.
They've given him amoxycilin, and we should see some improvement in a couple of days. We'll keep you all posted.